Yes, medications can be used to treat dog cancer. There are many different options on the market, some of which are borrowed from human cancer treatments. Newer treatments are targeting specific cancer types and their genomes, there is a company called FidoCure, which partners with oncologists to find more targeted medications for your dog's cancer. Diet modifications may also be recommended by your veterinarian as part of your dog's overall treatment plan.

The treatment for cancer in dogs depends on the type of cancer your dog has. Surgical removal is often the best option if the tumor is accessible, such as a lump on the skin or an internal organ like the spleen. In cases where the tumor is in a difficult location or is very large, radiation may be used to shrink the tumor before surgical removal. Other treatments include oral and IV injectable chemotherapy medications.

Not necessarily. Ticks do not usually jump from one pet to another. However, if one pet has ticks, it indicates that ticks are present in the environment, so it is more likely that other pets may also come into contact with ticks. Infestations with ticks are rare unless there is a large number of them in the environment right outside your home.

If you have further questions about ticks on your dog, how to prevent them, or the diseases they transmit, it is recommended to consult with your veterinarian or contact a local pet hospital like Blue Oasis Pet Hospital.

Tick bites may appear as an inflammatory nodule, which can be raised, hard, and firm. If a tick's head gets detached and remains in the skin, it can cause a foreign body reaction, leading to inflammation and a small nodule. However, it may be difficult to identify a tick bite since it could resemble any other exposure or irritation on the dog's skin.

Yes, there is a test to diagnose tick-borne diseases. In middle Tennessee, for example, about 9% of the tests run on pets for heartworm and tick-borne diseases come back positive for tick-borne diseases. The most common tick-borne disease in Tennessee is Ehrlichia, but Lyme disease is occasionally seen as well.

Veterinarians find ticks on dogs similarly to how pet parents do. They move the dog's hair coat aside, feel along the hair coat, and check for any lumps or bumps. However, finding smaller ticks, such as nymphs, can be more challenging since they are about the size of a poppy seed and often go unrecognized. Ticks are parasites that jump on, get a blood meal, and then fall off, making them difficult to find at times.

Yes, fleas can easily spread to other pets in the household. When one pet has fleas, the fleas lay eggs in the environment, which then develop into larvae, cocoons, and eventually new baby fleas. The life cycle takes about three weeks, and the baby fleas will jump onto other pet family members, causing an infestation in the home and on other pets. To prevent this, it's recommended that all dogs and cats in the household be on some type of flea prevention.

Yes, it's possible for a dog to have fleas even if there are no visible signs. Vets may find fleas on a pet that the owner believed was flea-free by using a flea comb or looking for flea dirt. If a dog is not on any type of prevention and comes in with itchiness, the first thing vets will consider is flea allergies.

Flea bites may not always be visible, but when they are, they appear as small red dots, typically in the belly or thigh area where the hair is thinner. These red dots are caused by inflammation related to the flea saliva injected into the skin. When dogs have an intense inflammatory reaction to the flea saliva, they may chew, scratch, or lick the area, which can lead to further inflammation and infection called flea bite allergies.